Valynne E. Maetani's engrossing debut novel begins with a mystery that won't release its hold on readers until the finish.
Claire Takata was not quite seven years old when her father died 10 years ago. She loves Dad, the stepfather who raised and adopted her and her two brothers. But when a mysterious letter falls out of her late father's journal (which she secreted away from the garage while her mother was disposing of his belongings), it raises questions. For one thing, Claire's biological father and adopted stepfather knew each other. Why would they keep that secret?
Claire confides her findings to her younger brother, Avery, and her older brother, Parker, and their tightly knit group of male friends, plus Claire's best friend, Forrest. As Claire uncovers layers of the puzzle surrounding her father's death, her own life teeters into dangerous territory. Claire is accused of cheating, someone breaks into her locker and her bedroom and plants four eyeballs in her backpack, and a black SUV starts tailing her. Could these events be connected with Claire's request for an autopsy report on her father? The report reveals something else: the tattoos on his body point to Claire's father's involvement in the yakuza, the Japanese mafia.
Tucking in nuggets of Japanese culture and superstition, Maetani builds suspense and intrigue, while also examining the deep bonds of family and loyalty--plus a touch of romance. She is a writer on the rise. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness